Best Korean Local Websites to Buy Korean Citron Tea

 

 

* Citron tea is a bright beautiful yellow drink made by what is closely known in western countries as marmalade. Except instead of oranges, the marmalade consists of asian citron fruits called yuja. This tea is largely popular for treating the common cold, strengthening blood circulation and strong skin de-aging oxidants. The citron tea is sweet, tangy and sour taste that is served with thinly sliced pulp inside the drink with a small spoon on the side.

A simple how-to-make citron preserve photo reel

* Yuja preserve is very simple to make. The citron marmalade is made with citron and sugar in a 1 to 1 ratio and mixed until juices turn into sticky citron jelly. The jelly is then incased in a glass jar with two cups of sugar on the top. The jelly is then preserved for two to three months. On the left is a link of asimple how-to-make citron preserve photo reel.


* Korean food blog, Agrafood, stated the citron fruit is grown mainly in Korea, Japan and China but out of the three, Korean citron fruits are named to be the best high quality fruits (Chae). The blog further states that since the late 2000s, its exports have been increasing by 15-20 percent every year. There has been increasing popularity in the United States, Japan, other Asian countries but, mostly China. Although, China does export most of Korean grocery flee markets so, it's difficult to buy great yuja unless you live around the same area as the yuja farms. However, I listed below for Korean citron fruits and pre-made Korean citron marmalade.


A Korean Citron Regular Eater

Lee Soon Hae eating a air-dried citron slice

* Above is a woman who eats citron as a health benefit for her weak neck. Below is an English translation of this original video which you can click here.

English Translation of the Original Video
* Ever since she was young, a local Korean, Lee Soon Hae, was telecasted on MBN (Korean channel) for having a neck highly susceptible to neck colds and diseases. She also had a weak body since she was little where she had lots of fevers. She exercises her throat by playing the drums and singing. However, the true health benefit is the citron fruit she eats. How she takes care of herself is by her drying the fruit into a cracker and eating it daily. The first doctor claims that the yuja is rich in vitamin C and strengthens blood circulation which is helpful for colds. He further states the smell from the fruit also helps the coughing.

* Instead of just air-drying the skin of the fruit, the Korean lady makes yuja cracker slices. She first cleans and cuts the fruit into slices. She heats up a pan with a baking sheet on top where she lies the slices. There, she fries the slices and then air-dries the slices. She says the taste is better and the nutrition is packed inside the citron once air-dried. She eats the citron like a cracker or makes a tea out of it. In addiction to dried citron, she adds black tea leaves, dried ginseng, dried matrimony vine and ginger. The second doctor claims that those who have fevers regularly should drink yuja tea. For those who regularly have a cold body, adding ginger will help blood circulation in the body. He brings caution to the fact that those who have lots of diarrhoea, a feverish body or a cold body shouldn't drink a ton of yuja tea at once because of the citron's acidity.



Different Ways to Prepare Korean Citron

* The citron fruit is simply a healthy sweetener. Since the tea is largely popular in Korea, there are different ways to drink citron tea without the fruit being a preserve. Citron tea was originally served hot but the tea can also be served cold. Below is a simple citron cocktail video.

* You can also serve the citron preserve in a mojito.

* The ingredients are mint, tonic water, ice and citron preserve. (The bottle says fried yuja preserve but, it doesn't matter if the citron is fried or not.) You can find the original video here.

* The citron doesn't need to be in a preserve in order to make citron tea. Below is a video on how to make fried yuja tea without making a citron preserve and how to make hot yuja green tea.

English Translation for Fried Citron Tea (흑유차)
1) The yuja is cleaned in water with a spoon of flour to clean up the fruit nicer from pesticides.
2) The fruits are taken onto a stir fry pan. The fruits need to be fried black for two to three hours. If you lay the fruit on the pan without flipping the fruit, the citron would explode. So every ten to fifteen minutes, flip the fruits around until they are nice and black.
3) Once cooled down, you can simply toss the fruit inside a pot of water and let the tea brew.

English Translation for Fried Citron Tea (유자단차)
1) The yuja is cleaned in water with a spoon of flour to clean up the fruit nicer from pesticides.
2) Cut the top piece of the fruit.
3) Scoop the insides out and squeeze the insides onto a stir fry pan.
4) Fry the juices with green leaves for three minutes.
5) Put in the fried green tea leaves into the citron carcass.
6) Put the top piece of the fruit back on.
7) Put the fruit inside a steam pot for three minutes.
8) Lay the fruit inside a pot of water and boil for five minutes.


*Citron preserve is a sweeter, afterall. The sweeter can be used in meals too. Below is a video on Korean stir fried chicken with citron preserve.
English Translation
Ingredients:
* Chicken breast (400g)
* Thinly sliced green onions (2 tablespoons)
* Soy Sauce (6 tablespoons)
* Korean Seasoned Alcohol (4 tablespoons, optional)
* Thinly sliced garlic (1 tablespoon)
* Seasame oil (1 tablespoon)
* Pepper (1 teaspoon)
* Citron Preserve (3 tablespoons) (The bottle says fried citron preserve but, you don't need it)

Steps:
1) Slice chicken breasts into small chunks.
2) In a separate bowl, mix green onions, soy sauce, Korean seasoned alcohol, garlic, pepper and citron preserve. Mix well.
3) Add the raw chicken breasts in the mixture and mix well.
4) On a hot pan, pour the chicken mixture. Move around the chicken and the sauce every minute. The sugar can easily burn so move the sauce around well.


Where to Buy Online
The citrons and citron preserves are all from South Korea.
Shopping Dictionary:
유자: Citron
유자차: Citron Tea
유자청: Citron Marmalade
꿀유자차: Honey Citron Tea
뽁유자차: Fried Citron Tea
국내산: Domestic Food (Otherwise Food from Korean Farmers or Sea)
중국산: Chinese grown food
날짜: Date
선물: Gift
세트: Set (ex. Gift set)

Domestically:
If you're going to the market, I recommend Youja Tea.
Auction (You can also buy Youja Tea here)
Gmarket (Honey and Citron Preserve, 3rd option)
Gmarket (Citron only Preserve, 2015)
Tmon (Citron Preserve only, 2kg)
0808 (All the others are high quality and cheap citron marmalades. However, this site is focuses on getting the best domestic fruits, seafood, meats and more. If you can read some Korean, I recommend this site to buy food online. This is two 800mg bottles of marmalade. The prices go way up: the more bottles you buy. This site is really great for gifts as well.)
Emart (Citron Hagen Dazs ice cream!)

Citron fruit: (1.23.2016)
***Please read if you are considering on buying the citron fruit***: Buying fruits online is a big deal because freshness is a huge factor. Korea has a reputation for buying fruits in its seasons and has a reputation for genetically modified fruits. Homemade citron marmalades can go up to one hundred dollars or more. I did my best to find cheap domestic citron. However, buying citron on your own is better because of the dates stamped on the packaging. I suggest checking Tmon every fall or winter for the best citron. Tmon runs out of their fruit quickly because their fruit has a high quality reputation. I will try updating the sites every few months. But anyways, happy shopping! ( \^o^)/

Auction (This post doesn't close down so, you can buy it whenever) (This site is the best English-friendly site I could find for the fruit as well)
Wemakeprice (Hurry because this is in season and sale ends soon!) (There is 3kg and 5kg, 1st option is 3kg and 2nd option is 5kg)
Interpark (These are the type of citrons farmers take extra care of. Fruits that farmers take extra care of tastes and is better. If you have the money, buying pricier fruits is a good investment.) (This is also pretty English-friendly)
0808 (This is only the citron fruit from this site)


Internationally:
I checked Amazon for Korean citron preserves but, they are as expensive as forty dollars. I suggest these sites to buy your citron preserves.
Yazu+ (Different types of citron preserves)
11st (Citron only preserve, from Jeju island, 1st option) (2nd option is Jeju tangerine marinade also great for tea)
Gmarket (Citron only preservative, 1st option)
Gmarket (Honey Citron preservative only, 1st option)




Bibliography:

  Blog.naver.com,. "Citron Tea Is Easy To Make". N.p., 2015. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.

 복음자리 숙성유자차 - 데리야끼 유자소스 닭구이 레시피. Naver Tvcast: Home Cafe Bokum Jari, 2016. video.

  Chae, Ria. "Let’S Change To Organic Citron Tea!". Agrafood.co.kr. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.

  "천기 누석". MBN, 2016. TV programme.

  Lee, Yoon Jin. "Nutritional Benefits Of Korean Citron Tea". General Mings - the delicious dynasty. N.p., 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.

  "오늘아침". MBC, 2016. TV programme.